An aerobatic daredevil is thought to have broken a world record for the fastest flight in a wingsuit, gliding through the skies above California at speeds approaching 250mph.

Fraser Corsan, a former student of the University of the West of England leapt into the record books after a flight that was five years in the making.

But the 42-year-old, who previously lived in Horfield, missed out on three other records he had long hoped for - the world’s highest wingsuit jump, the longest time flown in a wingsuit and the furthest distance flown, his efforts hamstrung by poor weather.

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The former aerospace safety engineer jumped out of a plane more than 35,000ft above Davis in California, soaring through the air at 249mph – around the top speed of a Bugatti Veyron supercar.

He was going so fast he could see cars “all going backwards” on a motorway - almost five miles directly below him.

Mr Corsan, now from Salisbury, flew in a custom-made suit – similar to the shape of a flying squirrel – fitted to his body and equipped with an oxygen mask, a GPS and heated gloves to avoid wind burns, braving temperatures as low as minus 80C with the wind chill.

British aerobatic daredevil Fraser Corsan over the skies of Davis in California (Image: Project Cirrus/PA)

If his feat is ratified by Guinness, he will have set a new benchmark for the fastest speed flown in a wingsuit and have become the fastest person in the world to move horizontally without the use of machinery.

Describing his record-breaking flight, Mr Corsan said: “I knew I was going very fast. Even after I slowed, I looked at the data afterwards and I was still doing 210mph.

“I was actually tracking along a motorway and I knew I was going fast because I could see – even though at that point I was probably at about 26,000ft – that I was overtaking cars quite dramatically.

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“Where I ended up when I got out of the aircraft, I was just off a motorway, so I aligned myself with the motorway and flew directly above it.

“Normally you wouldn’t be able to judge your speed, but because I was directly above it I could see exactly what was underneath me and I saw they were all going backwards.”

His flight also broke two World Air Sports Federation (FAI) records, with his jump from 10,823m (35,509ft) setting a new highest altitude leap for a European, and his freefall flight of 9,741m (31,959ft) before opening his parachute also a new best.

Fraser Corsan attempted to break a world record for the fastest flight in a wingsuit (Image: Project Cirrus/PA)

But Mr Corsan’s other record attempts were scuppered by bad weather.

Temperatures touching 36.7C (98F) limited the altitude the plane could reach in California, with light winds wrecking the distance and time records, while a second jump from a balloon in Ontario, Canada, was cancelled at the weekend because of extreme cold, high winds, rain and cloud after two jet streams collided.

He said: “The (balloon) pilot said he had been flying for 22 years and had never seen the jet streams combine.

“We were a little bit gutted about that – everything conspired against us and we were lucky to come away with any records.

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“I have worked so hard for this, I have trained incredibly hard and brought together a team to make this all possible. It was frustrating, but at the end of the day we’ve come away with a few records.”

The attempts were made following years of preparation under a venture called Project Cirrus.

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And he promised he will “certainly look at” another attempt on the records.

He said: “We’ve got everything in place, I’m in condition and I know it’s possible now having been to 35,500ft, and if we get the weather conditions with the balloon we can set something which is pretty unachievable for anyone else.”